Cuomo scores slew of Jewish community endorsements ahead of NYC mayoral primary

Former New York governor Andrew Cuomo secures a series of Jewish community endorsements ahead of New York City’s Democratic party primary later this month.

The primary will likely decide the next mayor of the mostly Democratic city, home to the largest Jewish population outside of Israel. The general election is in November.

Cuomo’s campaign announces an endorsement from the Ahronim faction of the Satmar Hasidic movement in the Brooklyn neighborhood of Williamsburg.

Yesterday, Cuomo secured the endorsement of the Flatbush Jewish Community Coalition and the Sephardic Community Federation.

In the past week, Cuomo also won the backing of Bobov community leaders, two Jewish groups in Crown Heights, the stronghold of the Chabad Hasidic community, and the Far Rockaway Jewish Alliance.

Orthodox Jewish groups have been lining up behind Cuomo, despite lingering bitterness over COVID restrictions Cuomo enacted while he was governor during the pandemic. Religious Jewish communities felt some of the virus policies targeted their communities, but are endorsing him amid the perceived threat from his leading opponent in the primary, State Assemblymember Zohran Mamdani, a harsh critic of Israel.

Cuomo has sought to make amends with Orthodox communities during the campaign, as part of his broader outreach to Jewish voters.

Some Jewish leaders in Boro Park Orthodox communities announced their endorsement of City Council Speaker Adrienne Adams as their first choice vote, and State Senator Zellnor Myrie as their second choice. The city’s ranked-choice voting system allows voters to select up to five candidates.